From the Shadows
by Kamzil118
Summary: Falmart experiences a period when two gates are opened, one that is powerful while the other is humble. One world that is living and the other world that is dying. As the Empire goes to war, the future for the people of the Metro is uncertain and lies in the hands of a man who carries the last light of humanity left with him.
1. Prologue

A lonely man walked through the abandoned tunnel as his flashlight lit the way within the darkness. His ears heard the whispers escape from the pipes as his Kalash was strung over his shoulder. Nobody, not even the mutants would want to come here. There was a presence no living creature would stay near, Ghosts.

He grabbed his batter charger and put the power back to its maximum, only to see a blast shadow of a woman sitting on the floor. However, the shadow of the woman began to move away from the tracks as she cried to herself. It was sad that no one could comfort her even in death.

He moved passed her as he continued to follow the path of the tunnel to his destination, but was met with a surprising change to the tunnel. After all, he did use this tunnel to bypass the Communist and Nazi stations. The problem that he faced was that there was a structure that sealed off an entire tunnel from the point on. "Damn." He whispered to himself. "What happened here?" It was a question that no one was going to answer, but it helped that he could still talk to himself.

The man noticed how the structure was built and how it's appearance was completely different from the tunnel's dirty and unmaintained state.

"Intriguing, it reminds me of the pictures of the old world."

The structure's marble material piqued his interest as a small speck of light appeared on the other side of the darkness. What made it different was that there was no tracks that lead towards the line, only smooth, but flat stone.

"Let's see where this goes." He said to himself before he walked through this new, yet unexplored path out of the tunnel. For his own sake, he pulled out a gas mask from his belt and encased it over his face. If this lead to the surface, he would prefer that he had his mask on.

* * *

After a long walk from the decrepit tunnels, his eyes did their best to adjust to the light. Years of living underground had harmed his vision and it was difficult to readjust back to the surface if the light hurt him. Even the tunnel lights were not this bright as the sun. Now that he thought of it, he remembered the sun. One of the last few things of the old world that remained untouched by nuclear fire.

As he reached the other end of the tunnel, he found himself entranced by the fact that there was life. Not one that lived in the tunnels, but lived on the surface. However, he made his way to the exit and couldn't believe what he saw, a tree. Not the ones that were mutilated by radiation, but an actual living tree with its green leaves. Was this the remains of paradise or a vision of a surface for those who were foolish? He couldn't tell.

Then he looked to his surroundings and he saw great fields in the distance, all untouched by human life. The only structure that could have been made by human hands was this gate that brought him here. However, he found himself standing upon a hill as he looked down to see a village. It looked small, but it was still a village nonetheless. Yet, he saw movement in the village of unidentified figures moving to and fro. Were they mutants? Questions of an apocalyptic survivor occurred to him, but they always had merit and its caution never harmed him. For every mistake could be your last.

The man made his way down the hill, getting closer to the village. His heart told him that he didn't need to wear his gas mask, but his mind said otherwise. It was struggle that he didn't want to deal with, but was a necessary one since the surface always had its tricks.

When he arrived at the village, he was met with a simple people. They dressed in ragged clothing, but almost like peasants of old Russia. One of them, a young, but muscular man had walked forward to greet him. However, when he spoke, it almost Italian... almost. The young man's tongue was unheard of and it was difficult to understand him, but sometimes humanity had to rely on the simple things.

The man took off his gas mask and left it at his belt; however, he came to realize something that was different. He was smelling fresh air, not the tunnel air that smelled of filth and smoke, but actual air.

The stranger tried to talk to him again, but he failed to understand once again. So the man placed a hand on his chest. "Greetings, my name is Khan."


	2. Chapter 1

It intrigued Khan that there was bliss in this small primitive village. People went on with their daily lives as farmers and peasants, but he understood how vastly different they were from the modern world. If this was a place where humanity had fallen so hard, then there would be some degree of modern life. Whether it be farming technology or some product of the old world. Here, it seemed these people were separated from the rest of the world.

Then he remembered the elder of this village, talking to him. He couldn't understand the language of course, but the elder made gestures something about men with staffs that shot fire. Their village was exposed to another weapon of man, guns. Its creation was meant to kill with extreme efficiency and accuracy. From what he could gain out of their expressions, they were interested in him and his weapon.

He would not give them a chance at using it, but he was sure it wasn't their first time seeing a firearm.

Khan found himself sitting in a chair as the village elder offered him food and drink for his journey since he was their guest. Although he was such, the life of the Metro changed his stomach to the point that he would only have to eat small just to always be on the move. After all, the Nosalises were always looking for food.

The food consisted of fruits, but the old traveler took it out of respect for the village people. As for the drink, Khan knew better than to take it with him. It would only bring back a notorious man to come after him.

Then a familiar bestial cry roared from beyond the village. Yet, it was close enough to threaten the village. The people of this small village were terrified as the men of the village began to ready their tools and use them as weapons.

Luckily, the village had defenses and was surrounded by a wooden palisade. Despite its crude designs, it was a defense nonetheless.

Men readied themselves as they rushed their women and children into their hovels, but Khan took the chance to calm their fears as he made his way towards the entrance. He looked up to see the hill where the "gate" was, only to see a pack of Nosalises descend from the hill.

The enlightened man of the new world took the chance to pull out a small piece of chalk and make a circle which covered the village's entrance. This only brought confusion and wonder from the defenders, who were curious enough to know what he was doing. Some took the chance to shout at him at the impending danger that was ignored by Khan.

When the mutants arrived at the base of the hill, they were less than thirty meters away from the entrance.

A normal man might have begun to open fire on them, but Khan was anything but normal. He crossed his legs and sat down on the dirt road into the village. His hands were resting on his knees as he closed his eyes in the face of danger.

The mutants snarled at him from the front and the defenders shouted at him from the back. However, he knew what that force answers force and there was no need for bloodshed. Even the mutants sensed this meaning of life.

Khan opened his eyes and looked back at the Nosalises. They crept forward as they growled at him, but they go no further when they reached the edges of the circle. The beasts snarled at him, but the passing by of a dear had caught their attention, only for the leader of the pack to back away from Khan and chasing after their next meal.

Once they were finally gone, Khan rose from his circle and looked back at the village. Many of the men, both young and old, were in awe as they had begun to lower themselves in his presence. However, Khan was quick to smash down on the idea they were getting by simply preventing them from kneeling towards him. For he knew that he was just like them, a mere man.

The Metro dweller expressed a smile back towards the villagers before he turned away and departed from the village. He looked back towards the top of the hill, only to see that the gate was no longer there. "That is quite disappointing."


	3. Chapter 2

A voice called out to the young man as his body rested in his seat. "Artyom, wake up. We're here." A man called him.

Artyom opened his eyes and shook his head from his slumber as he found himself back in reality and in the safety of the moving train. "Uhlman, are we there yet?" He asked.

"Yes. Come now, Colonel Miller doesn't like it when he's waiting for us."

The young man looked up to see his companion walk out of the train before Artyom rose from his seat and stretched his body. After his short recovery from his tired journey, he stepped out of the train and found himself on the very same platform where he found D6. The fact that he was part of the team that found such a legendary location was quite an honor, it was just a pity that they lost two good men trying to get through the waves of mutants.

It was week after the destruction of the Dark Ones and because of his achievement in destroying such a terrible foe, he was now part of the Polis Rangers. If the man he once looked up to had saw him now, he would be proud of him. Sadly, he was no longer among the Rangers and the only memory he had of the man was his dogtags.

Artyom forgot about the train as he walked through the blast doors; however, he was met with the very same sight when he first came into this bunker-complex. The difference was that the Rangers were now making this their new headquarters compared to their old one. Based on what he heard, everything was better for the order because of this discovery.

Uhlman was on one of the elevators as two Rangers began to join him. However, it didn't go up yet. "Come on Artyom. We don't have all day." He said.

The young man, who was now a Ranger, was quick to accompany his friend as the elevator descended from their current level and into the summoning room. Then he looked over the railings, just to see if the creature that once lived in this place was still there. Then Uhlman placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about that, Artyom." He began. "Miller ordered Captain Krasnov and his men to suit up and burn everything. The only thing that remains are ashes and smoke."

Yet, Artyom was still afraid if there were any remains. "I just hope he's thorough about it."

"Don't worry, Krasnov would prefer this over paperwork. I can guarantee that."

Suddenly, the two nameless Rangers that accompanied them had grabbed their attention. "Hey, aren't you the two that were part of Miller's group!" One of them asked.

"Oh yes, we're one of Miller's bodyguards. What makes you say that?"

The young man scratched the back of his head. "We'll, you seem to know more about this place than us."

Uhlman chuckled. 'Yes, we were here. Say, I've seen you two before, but couldn't put my finger on it."

The other Ranger was quick to reply. "My name is Bar and my brother is Su. Though you might not have heard of us since we happen to be part of the Kshatriya."

"The stalkers? You're the guys who scavenge for all those parts? What are you doing here?"

Su was quick to answer that question. "Polis ordered my brother and I to assist claiming this place for the order. Some other members of the Kshatriya group are taking inventory in what we got here before we start using them."

"You two keep up the good work, we've managed to get a car going back on the surface. So if you find any fuel ask us about it."

The twin Rangers nodded their heads before Uhlman began to make his way off the elevator. Artyom followed as he remained in silence, only to recognize the very path he took when he needed to destroy the Dark Ones. With it being occupied by the Rangers, he noticed the presence of scientists and civilians with special skills helping out the Order from within.

When they arrived in the summoning room, both Rangers were quick to salute the man who was now in charge of D6. "Artyom, Uhlman, it's good to see both of you again. What do you two have to report?"

Uhlman tapped Artyom's shoulder, suggesting that he should be the one to speak.

Artyom was quick to answer the colonel's request. "Colonel Miller, we've searched one of the upper levels of D6."

"Is that all?"

"No, there is a door in the way and it can only be unlocked by the keys to the bunker. Right now, you have the keys." He answered.

"Okay, I'll accompany both of you to the door. I have to make sure we cleared out the lower levels of that biomass."

* * *

Three Rangers found themselves in the presence of the one door that was in their way. The only way to open such doors open was the commander of D6, who stepped forward in front of the group. He walked up to a small console on the left side as he pulled out a keycard and scanned it. Soon after, the console spoke with a woman's synthetic voice. "Access Granted." She said with little emotion.

When the console recognized the key, the doors moaned and ached after a long time of inaction. Once again it was reactivated, but by the sons of the apocalypse. On this very day, they were now in the service of the Order and its Rangers.

The trio wasn't surprised if there was a secret that D6 contained. After their first initial discovery of the bunker-complex and its terrifying host, Artyom expected that the doors contained weapons and ammunition, canned food, or even a large array of useful information. Such expectation was broken when there was simply nothing except a strange structure similar to the buildings of the dead city. Despite its similarity, the Rangers couldn't understand why something so simple was locked away in a bunker of a forgotten age.

Colonel Miller took a step forward as he planted his hands on his hips. "What the hell is this?"

Uhlman was quick assessing the situation. "A disappointment in the making."

"You know, we happen to be on the top level and I'm willing see how long it will take for a simple fall."

"I'll just shut up."

"Good." Miller replied. "Before we get settled in here, we are going to secure this little opening and make sure it doesn't threaten our base of operations."

Then Uhlman was quick to complain. "No offense, but we've been awake for quite some time. Couldn't we get some quick shut eye before we start another one these discoveries?" He asked.

Artyom second his opinion. "I'm with Uhlman on this. We have not had enough sleep after clearing some of the levels filled with spiderbugs."

"Don't even mentioned those to me." He said.

Colonel Miller submitted to their requests. "Okay then, you two will get six hours of sleep before we prep our gear together and see what is on the other side."

"Yes sir." Both Artyom and Uhlman said together.

"Better start locking this up. We don't want any unwanted guests walking right in."

* * *

Many of the former soldiers who once fought for their respective kingdoms against the enemy on Alnus Hill had set up camp not far from the town they were trying to sack. Although their numbers were not enough to encircle the town, it was enough to threaten the presence of the people living inside of the town walls.

After what they saw at Alnus, the soldiers now bandits needed something to destroy. With their kings and commanders now deceased, they were now filled with rage and a desire for blood. Because their enemy refused to fight them face-to-face, they began to lash out at the land of the Empire. For their treachery of reneging their promise with the allied armies, the Imperial citizens would pay for it.

They tried to break through the walls and the gates, but the defenders repelled their recent attack. The commander of the ex-soldiers stood outside of his tent as he observed the enemy walls from afar. He would breach if it meant throwing every single soldier just to get in and spill blood on the people who refused to help him.

Then a scout nearby had rode his horse beside his as he glanced over to him. "Tell me about your findings?" He asked of him.

The scout was eager to answer. "Commander, we found another gate."

When the news was brought to him, he quickly glanced over to him. "A new gate, where?!" He demanded.

"It's not far from here, in-fact it is quite close and it's unguarded."

A smile fell upon his lips. "For all of the things the enemy on Alnus had done to us, we now have a chance of enacting our vengeance upon them. They will pay for their cowardice when we made our first step."

"Captain Vlad, what do you wish for us to do?"

"Ready the men, break camp, we will destroy the enemy."


	4. Chapter 3

Artyom's mind was dreaming of a place and in a time long before the great bombs came down from the sky and turned Moscow into a dead city. It was fields, grass that moved in the wind, and fresh air he welcomed into his lungs. Such a dream was quite a relief, but just like any dream. They all had to end.

A voice called out to him and he opened his eyes, this time Uhlman was in his new quarters. "Artyom, get up." He said. "Colonel Miller needs you back at the gate."

The Ranger quickly yawned out of his cot and sat up on his bed. "Has six hours already passed?"

"No, it seems we have intruders. Get up there and join with the rest of the Rangers, it seems like we're going to have a big fight on our hands."

"Okay, I better get my stuff together."

* * *

It was a normal day for the Alnus Garrison. As recon teams by the JSDF were sent abroad and learn about this world, the Japanese military was quick to establish a forward operating base on the hill.

The general of the "Special Region" was brought to his office to meet with a colonel of the 4th Combat Regiment due to a strange report. For a society that was so primitive, it would have been impossible for them to have developed a working radio. "Could someone please tell me why I'm here?" He asked as he walked into the room.

A member of his staff was present and was quick to answer. "General Hazama, we have recorded a radio signal that is coming from the Special Region. At first, we believed it was some sort of problem with the radios, but it repeated itself once our radio operators reported the signal multiple times."

"Colonel Kengun, do you have it with you?"

"Yes sir. It seems that we're not the only ones in the Special Region." The colonel pulled out a CD and placed it into a music player. It was old tech, but it was still useful. "Listen to this."

"Для того, чтобы кто-то там, это Московский метрополитен. Я повторяю, это Московский метрополитен. Если вы слышите это, пожалуйста, ответьте. Есть выжившие в московском метро, я повторяю это кто-то там." *

Colonel Kengun stopped the recording before glancing back to his superior. "Sir, it's in Russian. I don't speak the language, but clearly, it's in Russian. Could it be that Russia has a gate on their side?"

General Hazama shook his head. "It's possible, but we're going to need a translator and look into it. Just keep this to yourself and don't say anything about it. We don't want the politicians to lose their heads over this."

"Yes sir, I understand."

"Colonel, if there is anything new about this I want you to update me on this." He ordered. "Dismissed."

Colonel Kengun acknowledged his order with a salute before he left General Hazama's office. Once the door was closed shut, the general began to think about the situation within the Special Region. 'The Prime Minister and the government might freak out if I report this to them. It's best I get the whole picture of the situation before I send one to them. As soon as the recon teams report something about this from their journey, I will have to inform them. Damn it, what could bring the Russians here?'

* * *

Colonel Miller's voice knew no bounds as he shouted. "Get that tripod behind those crates!"

A loud shout was heard on the other side of the doors before the D6 before a loud bang rang out from the impact. The voice repeated the same word, only to be given the same result.

Many of the Rangers arrived on time to see the situation at hand, only to realize they were under attack. However, it was much worse when everyone had their guns at the ready.

The colonel recognized one of the Rangers who arrived on the defenses. "Artyom, it's good to see you. Where is Uhlman?" He asked.

The young unshaven man glanced over to see more Rangers from the Order make their way to their positions. "Uhlman is getting the other Rangers to join us. Do we have enough men here?"

"Yes, I'm going to do something crazy, but it's the only way to keep these guys out."

"Like what?"

"I'm going to open the doors and everyone open fires on them. It's the least we can do." Then placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "You have the honor of manning the machine gun. Just curious, do you know how to use it?" The colonel asked.

"Yes sir, I used it to get between the frontlines of the Reds and the Nazis."

"Good, just make sure you fire in short bursts." Then the colonel walked away from the firing line placed behind a wall of crates as he made his way to the door's console. He brought out his keycard as every Ranger present looked at him. "When you see a crack in those doors open fire on the poor bastards." He put the keycard before the console obeyed his command.

The doors slowly opened as the intruders on the other side were trying to stuff themselves into the small opening that was slowly coming out. The first weapon the Rangers saw from the attackers was a sword reaching out. The enemy spoke in an unrecognized language, but the Rangers did not care as they readied their barrels in their general direction.

"For Sparta!" Miller cried out as he moved away from the door and joined the defenders and their reinforcements.

When Artyom found the opportunity, he pulled the trigger. The heavy machine gun unleashed its heavy caliber onto the waves of people attempting to break into their newfound headquarters. However, they gave them no quarter as shotgun shells blasted away at those who tried to sprint for the firing line. Shell casings littered the floor after being ejected from their weapons while grenades were tossed over with their fuses lit and going into the crowd trying to close the distance with them.

Despite their superior firepower, many of the armored enemies were slowly creeping forth on the defenders by using a shield wall against the Rangers.

Artyom was quick to gun them down as the large caliber rounds penetrated their shields and in some cases, broke their shields in two.

However, some did return fire on the Ranger. A hand grabbed Artyom off the heavy machine gun as a spear landed onto the concrete ground. "Artyom, are you okay?"

He looked to his rescuer, only to see a masked Ranger tap him by the shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the rescue." Then Artyom rose to his feet and grabbed onto the DShK and continued to fire a barrage of lead downrange.

A voice shouted from behind as Artyom glanced over his shoulder. "Make some room for the crowd control!" He saw Uhlman leading a three heavily armored Rangers after they left the elevator.

Uhlman quickly joined the group as his Kalash joined the others as they peppered the attackers with their rounds.

The three heavily armored men brought out their heavy weapons. One had an automatic shotgun cannon, the other had a Gatling gun, and the last man carried a flamethrower. The man with the Gatling gun as he spun his barrels and opened fire as he fired more bullets downrange than Artyom could have ever down.

The armored soldiers quickly tried to drown the trio in bodies, but dozens of shotgun shells peppered the area from the cannon.

When the man with the shotgun cannon had begun to reload, the flamethrower stepped forward and ignited the whole gate with flames. The men who charged over the bodies had widened their eyes in shock as the intruders were caught in a sea of fire.

Those who weren't caught had seen the error they have brought upon themselves before the remains of their forces retreated their way back where they came from. They sprinted into the darkness in fear while the flamethrower trooper chuckled. "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning."

Colonel Miller's voice took command once more and the Rangers were quick to glance over to their commander. "Do we have any wounded?" He asked.

A Ranger stepped forward and was quick to report. "A few dozen guys from the Kshatriya took some arrows. I thought they were taught to use cover."

Then Uhlman lightened the moment. "I guess they wanted to show their dick in their hands." He commented. A few laughs came from among the Rangers as the cadets didn't join them. "What, I can't make a joke?"

Miller brought back the attention of his men. "Alright, take them to the infirmary." He said before looking to the gate that brought the intruders here. "Post some guards up here, I don't want anything like this to ever happen again." Then he walked over the littered bodies that were stacked atop of one another thanks to the enclosed space of the bunkers. He looked down at the bodies and recognized the medieval armor and weapons they had on themselves. "Artyom, Uhlman, come over here."

Two Rangers stepped out from behind their cover as they joined their colonel. Uhlman asked. "What is it, colonel? Did you lose something?"

"No, I think I discovered something strange here. Take a look at their equipment and armor. They don't look like any bandits or Nazi stalkers I've ever seen before."

Uhlman dropped onto one knee as he inspected some of the bodies and the weapons. "Who has the time for swords and daggers?" He asked. "This is some weird shit I have never seen before."

"For once, we can agree." Miller replied. "Did both of you rest well?"

"Yes sir." Artyom answered. "We've got our rest. I'll go check out the other side before you send anyone else."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to die because I didn't have another man to watch your back."

"Don't worry sir, I've traveled enough in the Metro to watch my back."

"If you're sure, you can go ahead." He replied. "I'll form up a exploration party with Uhlman and a few others if possible."

"Let me get my gear prepped and I'll be heading off soon."

"Artyom, make sure you have enough bullets with you."

* * *

Khan sat there in his place and meditated. It was to his surprise that the village had easily accepted his presence after he made the nosalises turn away from attacking their homes. Since they were around, he would have to make sure the villagers were safe. He smiled as he sensed someone behind him.

The weary man turned around and grabbed the girl's shoulder with a laugh. "Got you."

She cried out in surprise as she jumped back. "Hey, how did you managed to do that?" She asked.

Khan released his hold on the girl as he turned to face her. "It is something I learned in my travels."

Her eyes opened up with home in her eyes. "You've been to other places. What is it like? Mommy never told me to leave the village because it's dangerous. She said the world is filled with monsters. Have you seen any monsters?"

Khan chuckled. "Yes, I have seen monsters. Some more ferocious than others."

"Like a dragon?!" The girl asked.

"No, there are no dragons where I come from."

A woman called out somewhere else from the village, but there was nowhere to be seen. "Eliza, where are you?" She asked.

"Go to your mother, she is calling to you." He said as he tapped her head.

The girl was quick to run away from his place underneath the trees as he looked over the village with a sense of peace in his mind. As she went down the hill, Khan noticed the village elder walking up the small trail with a wheat between his teeth. "Hello, I was wondering where you were."

Khan expressed a smile to the elder. "I like to enjoy views such as this."

"With a shade such as this, I would appreciate something like this." He said. "I don't know how to thank you for protecting my village, is there anything you need come and ask me."

"Your debt has been repaid, my friend. You allowed me into your village and I was accepted. I am completely fine with how it goes."

The elder nodded with acknowledgement. "Will you be leaving for your travels?" He asked.

"Sadly, I have no idea how I will be able to return to my world with that… gate gone."

"Wait, you're from the other side of the gate?" He asked. "Are you working for the men in green?"

"Excuse me, but I do not understand who these men in green are?"

The elder shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know who they are, but they call themselves Japeneese."

Then Khan corrected him. "It is pronounced Japanese." He replied. "I have heard of them before in my world, but that was before we destroyed it in fire."

"You know of them?"

"I have heard of them, but do I know one. I am afraid not."

"Well, you're more likely to see more them around here now. I few days ago, I just saw a group of them come to my village for directions." The elder replied. "They seem like nice people."

Khan heard a familiar noise in the distance. A noise which could only be heard from machines that spouted air as he looked down at the village, only to recognize green-colored vehicles arrive from the road. "Those are the men in green, I presume?" He asked.

"Yes, actually, that is them. Do you want to meet them?"

"Of course, it never hurts to meet new people."

The two walked down the trail as Khan grew cautious at what could happen. Would they open fire on him? Could they be trusted? It was these questions which he didn't like to ask, but it was part of man just like fire is with war. They were inseparable.

When Khan and the elder had arrived at the village, the green vehicles were on the road as the villagers gathered themselves from their daily lives to meet them. After accompanying the elder to his destination, the traveler noticed that there were young men and women socializing with the people of the village before the elder walked up to meet one of the men.

The men in green were the Japanese, for they wore the flag of the red sun.

The village elder conversed with a man who seemed to be the leader of this small force, but it seemed that the young man was trying to grasp the language of the villagers. Though, the elder didn't mind his struggle, but he understood some of the words he tried to pronounce. Then the elder pointed his finger in his direction, bringing the young man to glance over to where Khan stood.

The leader of the Japanese detachment had brought out his assault rifle as he aimed it at the old Russian's direction.

However, Khan was calm about the situation as he whispered an old saying to himself. "Force answers force, war breeds war, and death only brings death. To break this vicious circle one must do more than act without any thought or doubt." As they shouted and made their way to him, he raised his hands with his palms showing nothing. He noticed some of the villagers looking at him with fear and worry, but he smiled. "Don't worry. I will be fine."

* * *

Captain Vlad stood at the gate and was angry when his men returned from the fighting in defeat and fear. They were repelled by the enemy on the other side of the gate just like the Imperials when they first stepped into the enemy's lands. He tightened the grip on his horse's reigns and spouted orders. "I want guards placed on this entrance. We will continue the siege on Italica, but if they attack you are to send a messenger immediately to me. Blood shall be spilt for Emroy whether it be ours or theirs!"


	5. Chapter 4

Two footmen stood beside their campfire as they looked towards the dark depths of the gate. Behind them, was a small camp to relieve them of their duty every now and then. However, the two men were tired after their attempt on attacking the enemy on the other side of the Gate. They knew that their companions would try to keep them awake, but the desire to sleep hampered their ability to stay alert.

One of the men lowered his head, only to lean on his spear as he closed his eyes for a moment. It would not hurt if he tried to take a quick rest while on guard duty. His companion was much more alert as he happened to be a veteran and a mercenary. Normally, he would try to keep him awake, but Captain Vlad and his men were busy making plans to besiege the town of Italica. His companion slumped to the ground as he fell back onto the grass.

The sleepy guard glanced over his shoulder and checked his friend as he patted his chest. _Wake up._ He said in the Imperial tongue as he glanced over to his friend's neck, only to see a knife stuck in his throat. _Shit._ He whispered to himself. The guard realized he was dead and he needed to warn the others.

It was to his surprise when a hand covered his mouth and pulled him back away from the body. His hands released his hold from his spear as he tried to pry the unwelcomed aggressor of his face. Despite his best effort at pulling the hand off his mouth, he felt the edge of a cold blade pressed against his throat.

After the deed was done, Artyom laid the body down and sheathed his knife away. With the bodies lying away from the campfire, no one would be able to find the bodies in the middle of the night. It was even better when he brought his night vision goggles with him and entered a world of darkness. An element for a person like him.

He crept away from the two dead guards as he approached a small campfire with four men huddling together. The Ranger pulled out his customized Kalash with its silencer as he looked to the men talking to each other. As it turned out, he was fighting an enemy that used very ancient weapons in this place. Where they managed to create them, he would never know.

Artyom looked at his options as he noted the situation. There was a direct trail that lead up to the four men, but there was a ditch to his right that allowed him to gain a better view of their group. It was a path that benefitted him more when he noticed how there was a tent in the way.

Small steps and slow movement were essential to sneaking around, but it was made even better with his night vision. He could see the potential noise makers if he placed his foot on them. Whether it be a branch or a pile of leaves, the goggles helped him avoid the common mistakes his survivalist mentor once taught him in the Metro. Now he was applying it in a new place unlike the Dead City.

When he reached around the tent, a man stepped out of the tent as he brought out a young woman in her ragged clothing. _Look boys, the main army sent us a little gift. Turns out we can do what we want with her, only if we kill her after._ He said in his tongue.

Artyom didn't understand what they were saying, but he knew she was in distress as she tried to pull herself away from him.

 _No point in running, girl. You're in the service for Emroy now._ The captor said to her.

One of the other men was quick to speak up. _When are we going to have fun with her?_

Despite his desire to avoid a direct fight, it was a scene that reminded him too much of the Metro. No one deserved something like this. The urge to save was too much for him to resist and so he succumbed to his instinct a friend once told him. "If its hostile, kill it." Artyom whispered to himself as he slowly raised his Kalash.

The Ranger revealed himself in the light of the campfire as he looked down the scope of his rifle. A quick burst from his assault rifle was enough to take care of the four guards who beside the campfire. Then he turned his full attention onto the fifth man, who released his hold on his weapon and begun to reach for the handle of his sword. However, Artyom was quick to fire a single dirty bullet into a scum of a man.

The maiden in distress had found herself on the ground as she backed away from his intimidating stature. She was yelling in her indistinguishable tongue; however, Artyom came over to her and placed a finger over his lips. Even with the language barrier, the woman understood that he had no desire to harm her.

Then Artyom heard a set of whimpers coming from within the tent, grabbing hold of his attention. The young man walked over to the tent as he slipped through the white cloth, only to see a horror no one deserved to see. There were eleven women locked into cages as they all looked over to see him standing there. He took off his night vision as he noticed a degree of fear, but with a sense of hopefulness in their eyes. "What is wrong with this place?" The human side of him asked.

The woman he rescued had rushed past him as she came over to the first cage on the right with a ring of keys. She was quick to unlocking the cages of all the women who were given a chance for freedom.

He didn't interfere with the process as she knew what she was doing with those keys. Suddenly, Artyom was surprised she didn't unlock the last imprisoned woman. Rather, she was hesitant at doing so as many of the others young women were talking amongst one-another about her. Some were hostile about it, but others showed that they wanted to help. When he took a closer look at her, he noticed a detail he had never seen before. The woman had ears of a bunny, like the pictures he had seen of the old world.

The woman he saved, came up to him as she gave the keys to him. At first, Artyom did not understand, but she pointed towards the woman with the bunny ears. They wanted the decision of rescuing her to be in his hands because she was different. If he could understand what she was saying, he would ask why. Now a life was in his hands as the bunny woman looked to him for hope.

The Ranger walked over to the imprisoned woman as he slipped the key in and turned it slightly. However, the key broke as she gasped in horror. The key was too weak for the padlock as she tried to force the cage doors open. She cried in tears as her efforts were all for nothing.

Artyom was met with another choice, one that a teacher would have taught him. There was always a choice when it comes to people, he was not just applying the right choice. He pulled out a revolver from his holster as he pressed the barrel onto the only obstacle for freedom. "Miller is going to hate me." He whispered aloud. Artyom pulled the trigger as a loud gunshot rang from the tent to the rest of the world. Then he observed his surroundings, only to see the girls around him cry out in terror.

When he looked to the cage, the padlock was broken as the bunny person pulled the padlock out and rushed her way out to freedom. After crawling out of the tight space, she was quick to hug him for his ability to improvise on the spot. However, he knew there was little time to celebrate.

He spoke loudly and grabbed the attention of the girls as he walked outside of the tent. Then he looked off to the distance that there was a group of people running towards him with their torches. It only made the girls cry out in terror, but Artyom looked back and saw the bunny woman speaking to them and assuring them of safety and comfort. Then she glanced over to him with an expectation.

Realizing that their lives rested on his shoulder, Artyom turned on his flashlight and recharged the battery with his universal charge with a few cranks. The light shined brightly through the night as he remembered the path he took. Then he pointed in the general direction where he came from, only to look back at the quick response force coming in for him and the prisoners.

The bunny woman lead the group towards the area as Artyom stood behind and fired three bursts towards the few dozens of men coming after him. Then he quickly followed after them as his light shined on their backs, only to show the very same gate he came out from.

At first, the women were unsure of their path, but he shouted at them. "Get inside!" He ordered to the top of his lung as he pointed inside the darkness where he departed from.

The women listened as they started running into the darkness before Artyom fired another burst into their pursuers. Then he followed them in as he began talking on the radio.

"Colonel Miller, this is Artyom. I got some guests for you."


	6. Chapter 5

Khan remained silent after his captors put him inside of the back of the truck. Two men and a short woman accompanied him as they sat across from him. They tied in his hands with rope given to them from the village and because they were bound, he didn't make much effort in making an escape.

The three Japanese soldiers talked amongst themselves as they continued to keep an eye on him while the female soldier was inspecting his weapon. From the way she expressed, she was somehow surprised he had a crossbow-like weapon with him made out of junk. Though, they were more interested in his Kalash since it was such an iconic weapon made by Russian hands. However, Khan new better than to antagonize these people.

Where they were taking him, he didn't know, but it was a fate much better than the ones in the Metro. Then he looked at the window at the back of the vehicle and saw the people he watched over from the mutants, accompanying the Japanese convoy.

For reasons unknown, he noticed there was some kind of rush from the village people once they held a conversation with the head of this armed group. Their distress worried him as they were simple people, but because of the vehicle. Khan hoped that he wouldn't have to see them harmed because of him.

Then he noticed that they were taking a look at his Helsing, the makeshift crossbow of the Metro. The woman inspected it as she aimed down the sights. "Wow, how can an old guy like this use this weapon?" She asked herself. "Tomita, what do think about this?"

The man was given the weapon as he touched the barrels before glancing over to the Kalash. "I don't know, Kuribayashi." He replied. "It doesn't look much compared to the Kalashnikov.

Khan expressed a smile. "I see that you are surprised at my weapons." He said, grabbing the attention of the Japanese soldiers.

The third Japanese soldier was an old man, but he was quick to grab his weapon. "You speak Japanese this whole time?!" The soldier said, surprised by the turn of events. "Why didn't you say so?"

"I just wanted to see what was going on. Pardon me, but my Japanese might be a bit rusty after all these years of only speaking Russian."

Kuribayashi, the female soldier, was quick to ask her question. "Okay, what is a Russian doing in the Special Region? Are you some kind of agent for the Russian military and how did you come here?"

The idea that he was a spy seemed outrageous at first, but Khan new better than to antagonize these people. "I am no spy." He answered. "I am an old man who just found this place and remained stuck here."

"You were stuck here?" Tomita asked. "How, what happened to you?"

"It's a long tale, but I think we should introduce myself. I am Khan." The Russian man informed them. "I am a mere traveler, to say the least."

The three Japanese soldiers gave each other a quick glance before the woman introduced herself. "I'm Kuribayashi, my buddies are Tomita and Kuwahara. It's weird seeing you in this place."

"Likewise, but I wish to ask. What is this Special Region you speak of?"

"You don't know?"

Khan shook his head. "All I know is that I walked through this… gate and it disappeared when I left it." He replied.

The Japanese soldiers became silent when they were given the news. Then Kuribayashi asked. "So… this is awkward."

"Forgive me of my curiosity, but what brings the Japanese Military into this _Special Region_? It seems very odd to me."

Tomita glanced over to his friend. "Should we tell him why we are here?"

"I think so." The female soldier answered. "It's weird how he doesn't know about the event." Then she stared at the older man. "Are you living under a rock?"

"Nyet." The Russian replied. "I've been living in the Metro for all of my life, I doubt about hearing news about the rest of the world."

"Wait, you have been living in a metro?" Kuribayashi asked. "Why?"

"Didn't you get the news of a nuclear war being declared?" Khan asked.

"Nuclear war, what are you talking about?"

Then Tomita began to notice something. "Khan, you said that you mentioned something about nuclear war being declared. Could you tell us about it?"

"It's old news where I am from, but Russia and many other nations with nuclear bombs had declared war on each other. Right now, people are trying to survive in the Metro while anything on the surface is hostile to us." He replied.

"Strange. Where I am from, Moscow is fine and the rest of the world is fine. We don't have any signs of a nuclear war and Russia is still standing."

"I must agree, I think both of our worlds have somehow connected with this one. Now that I think about it, did a gate appear in Japan as well?"

"Yes, but we were attacked by a medieval army known as the Empire." Tomita answered. "They arrived in Ginza and attempted to harm the people there. Luckily, the JSDF gathered some forces nearby to put them down. Did something like this happen in your place?"

"No. Nothing of this sort had appeared when I first saw the Gate. Nothing came through and I traveled on the other side out of my own curiosity."

"Why did you go through?" Kuribayashi asked. "It was dangerous and you would have been killed."

"True, but this gate appeared in a set of tunnels that no human, beast, or rat, would ever go to. There is a presence there that I don't know how to describe without sounding like a madman." Khan explained to the three Japanese soldiers.

"Sergeant Kuwahara, I think we should tell the lieutenant about Khan. It might be relevant to Team Recon Three's objectives."

The sergeant agreed with their assessment. "I'll see if I can call Lieutenant Itami before we arrive to Alnus." Then he grabbed for his microphone and began to activate its speakers. "Lieutenant Itami, we have talked with our Russian friend. Turns out he is an apocalypse survivor." He reported.

In response, a voice of a young man had spoken. "Sergeant, are you sure he is not some Russian spy?"

"Doesn't look like that." The sergeant replied. "One of his weapons is made of junk and the other one is a really old AK-47. Plus, he has mentioned of another gate in the area."

"Wait-what?" The lieutenant raised his voice. "Why didn't you tell me in the first place?"

"Sir, we didn't know if he was bullshitting us until he mentioned that he does not know about the Ginza Incident." Sergeant Kuwahara explained. "You will have to talk to the man in person if you want more out of him."

"Okay, we'll be heading over to Alnus. Don't let him out of your sights. We still don't know much about it."

"Yes sir." The old sergeant said before looking to the old Russian man.

As soon as Kuwahara finished his conversation, Khan took the opportunity to ask a question. "I have another question, but it is about the villagers. Why are they coming along? I don't know the reason why they are accompanying us."

"Our lieutenant told the village elder about a village getting burned down by flame dragon." He replied. "Turns out it is a big deal to the villagers since they seem to be afraid of it to pack up and leave."

"I see." Then Khan spoke in a tongue unfamiliar to the Japanese soldiers. "Felicitate spero futurum."

His words brought Tomita's attention as the JSDF soldier leaned forward. "Okay, what did you say?"

"It is really just a saying." He asked. "I just felt the need to say it."

"Uh-uh." The soldier grunted in suspicion. "I hope it is not some code word for something."

"If you think I have a radio or a wire, you can search me for it." Khan said with a smile on his face.

* * *

Artyom did not know how Uhlman could pull it off, but Colonel Miller was angry at him. For someone whose job was to merely recon the area, he managed to get the worse kind of attention from the leader of the Spartan Rangers. "Artyom, you were supposed to recon the area, not piss off these medieval freaks and bring back a bunch of women to D6." He called the young man out. "I don't know why you did it, but now half of my Rangers here will have to stop every now and then to check a woman out."

It was in Colonel Miller's new office that he was scolding Artyom for his actions. However, Artyom felt a sense of relief that they were in the safety of the bunker-complex. "With all due respect, sir, they were the first people I came across. Their bodyguards were close to their prisoner camp." He explained to him. "Besides, we could use some information about the area other than my limited time there."

The colonel smashed his hands on the metal table in front of him. "I would be happy with this if we knew how to speak their language. Did you ever think this through? We can't take a risk like this and turn into our base of operations as a babysitting post."

Artyom chuckled. "True, but they would be helpful at keeping D6 clean while we are away."

Miller pointed his finger at his own face. "Does this look like I am laughing?"

"No sir, but it won't happen again."

He shook his head at the moment of his rage before he calmed himself. "Artyom, what did you learn about the place? Any information would be good."

"I don't know how to put this, but the surface seems to be clean and the air is nice." He explained to him. "As for the men trying to kill us on the other side of the Gate, it turns out that they are a bit set in the past to say the least."

"So we're fighting a medieval army, is that it?"

Artyom nodded his head. "Yes sir. It turns out that the hostiles don't have any guns with them. However, it looks like they outnumber all of our men."

"Shit, we're going to have to find a way to keep our base of operations secure without those guys interfering with us." Colonel Miller assessed the situation. "We don't have enough men for a direct fight so I am thinking that we send in small teams to break these fuckers apart before we secure the other side, correct."

"Yes sir. I suggest that we do it at night."

"Are you sure?"

The young man replied with a simple nod. "They didn't see me kill their men one-by-one before I alerted the others. Turns out that night vision is their weakness."

"Good, I'll see to it that I pull some strings from the Kshatriya to lend us some of their resources." The colonel replied. "Artyom, we do have some good news until then and you're going to be a part of this."

"What is it sir?"

"We've managed to salvage our buggy after we called the missiles on your Dark Ones." Miller answered. "Turns out we could still use it and some of the boys have managed to get the engine to eat less fuel while we're at it. Though that is not the good news. Some of the lads from the Kshatriya have managed to steal up some gas from a fuel station in the Dead City. Turns out that there was plenty to use."

"I'm going to be using the buggy to get myself around the other gate. Are there going to be other people with me?" Artyom asked.

"Da, Uhlman will accompany you. Though, you will need a gunner and another man with you, but don't worry I've managed to get a few experienced men. Petr and Grisha, those two have experience fighting some of the Librarians up on the surface. Being with those men will give some good luck."

"Understood sir, I'll be looking around in the area. Though, I have to ask what should I be looking for."

"See if you could find any settlements or something of the like. If you get attacked, use the buggy to either retreat or fight. However, don't end up fucking it up. Vladimir would have my head if he learned that we managed to break it again. Rest up, it's going to be awhile until the base brings the buggy over."


	7. Chapter 6

Another day of besieging the town had begun. The footmen charged forth as they brought their ladders under arrow fire. Many raised their shields as they began to sprint towards the base of the walls. However, the archers from the rear had fired their arrows to cover their fellow warriors. When the ladders reached the walls, the footmen climbed upwards towards their objectives. It was all in vain as the defenders aimed their arrows down on the climbers before pots of boiling oil were poured onto the vulnerable soldiers.

Princess Piña stood in one of the towers as she pulled her string back and released the arrow from her bow. She watched as her arrow struck a man trying to lead the rest of the footmen up the ladders. "I got you." She said before she noticed a ballista from a nearby tower impale three men with its bolster. "Push them back!" The burgundy princess ordered as the conscripts brought their blades and drew blood from the defenders coming up the ladders.

Then she heard one of her enemies below call out to his fellow warriors. "The captain says retreat!" When the order was given, the attackers were quick to remove themselves from the walls as they ran back to their encampment not far from the town.

The princess sighed. "Thank the gods that we have repelled such attack." She said to herself before she made her way down the steps. "Take those ladders off the walls, but remain vigilante." Piña ordered conscripts on the walls.

Those who survived, were quickly brought to the care of a few maids as they also cooked food alongside with the townspeople. The young men who died defending their town, had their bodies burned to prevent disease from overtaking the place.

When the princess arrived at the base of the stairs, she was met with an armored man as his sword rested on his shoulder. Then he lowered his head to respect her royal highness. "Princess Piña, I was just about to rally the troops together."

"There is no need. We temporarily repelled another one of their attempted attacks." She replied. "Just keep them on alert, in case the bandits make another attack. Don't feed them right now, it will only upset their stomachs when we go back to fighting the enemy."

"Forgive me, but I believed we were supposed to find the enemy who occupies Alnus Hill. Now we are fighting bandits who survived their wrath."

Princess Piña shook her head in disbelief. "Why would they immediately turn on us after they were defeated at Alnus Hill? We did not do anything to garner their retribution. What do you think, Grey?"

The old Imperial knight lowered his sword before he sheathed his blade. "I think it's because of the lack of leadership after the battle, the blackguards took to banditry because they are desperate." He answered. "They expected a battle and all they received was tremendous losses against an enemy that refused to fight them in the open."

"Sir Aldo, have you seen this before?" The princess asked, curious about her experienced advisor.

"Yes, your highness. I knew some of the regulars who fought against the warrior bunnies under your brother's command. From the tales I have heard about them, they were quite vicious and killed plenty of men from the shadows before Prince Zorzal had taken victory away from the demi-humans."

"Thank you, Grey. I appreciate your insight."

He acknowledged her thanks by bowing his head. "Anything for her highness." Then he made his way towards the secondary defenses in the town, the palisade."

It was not much, but the defenders had built an emergency defensive line should the bandits break the doors open and pour into the city. Rather than hold the gate itself, the townspeople had created a small defense for the militias to bring the number of spears through the small opening in case of the enemy attempted to break the palisade. The defense was small and it could have been reinforced, if they had the time and manpower to do so.

Princess Piña observed the grim sight of the impoverished Imperial town as the people tried to go on with their daily lives. However, it seemed difficult for the people to forget that the town was under attack by the bandits and former soldiers of various armies. Two knights that belonged to her had stepped forward from the palisade before they saluted the Imperial Princess. "Norma, Hamilton, is there anything to report?" She asked of them.

The young man was quick to speak up. "No, your highness. Other than the poor morale of the conscripts, everything has been the same." Answered Norma.

Then the short female knight was quick to follow up. "Your highness, what do you think we should do with the wounded? The maids of the countess, say they might not have enough medicine for a prolonged siege."

"I know." The burgundy princess replied. "I just hope our order of knights can arrive on time and stem the bandits from taking the town. That is, if we have enough knights."

Then Norma assured the princess. "Don't worry, we are soldiers and knights of the Empire. We will persevere through this crisis and those bandits will break."

She sighed. "I hope we do."

However, a call grabbed the attention of the princess. "Your highness, I see something over the horizon!" The voice shouted from atop of the walls.

Princess Piña looked up to the battlements to see a young man looking down at her. "Is it the bandits?"

"I don't know." The conscript replied. "All I see is a horseless carriage coming towards us and it's spewing out this strange fire I have never seen before."

"What is it doing?"

"It's attacking the group of bandits chasing it." He said.

* * *

Artyom swore underneath his breath as he heard the DShK machine gun firing in small, controlled bursts. "Damn it, Uhlman. Be careful driving this thing!" He demanded from his driver.

However, Uhlman was having the time of his life as he began to sing a song he was playing as he was driving on the dirt road. "Don't worry Artyom. My driving is perfect." He said. "Besides, none of you know how to drive. Am I right Petr?" He asked the third Ranger siting between himself and Artyom.

The man hesitated for a moment. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel comfortable being between both of you."

"Looks like Artyom got the good seat, again." He commented before the trio heard someone shout at them from the turret.

After three bursts of machine gun fire, he shouted. "I don't know about you guys, but where are we going?"

Artyom looked ahead in his seat as he saw a wall off in the distance. Through the buggy's windows, he noticed that it was battered over time. "We're going to see if this place has anything special. Right now, I see some kind of wall with people manning the defenses. Uhlman take us in."

The driver grew concerned. "Artyom, are you sure that is a good idea. We're being chased by a bunch of guys on horseback. I don't know if this is the castle of their evil lair."

"What's a castle?"

"You don't know what a castle is-never mind." He answered. "I'll just proceed to see if we're going to get shot or not. Grisha, how is our rear?" Uhlman asked.

The gunner was quick to answer. "I don't know what caused them to turn around, but they stopped pursuing us for the time being."

"Good, I won't like it if they started poking at our tires. It's the last thing I need to tell Vladimir about."

The buggy closed the distance between the walls as the four Rangers began to arrive closer to the gates. However, Artyom noticed people standing atop of the walls and aiming their weapons down in their direction. "Uhlman, stop for a moment. I don't think we are welcomed here."

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't like the fact that we have dozens of pointy weapons aimed at us. I think they're trying to warn us not to get any further."

"So, what do we do?" Uhlman asked. "I don't want to waste any gas on waiting here and doing nothing."

"Let me see if they will let us in." Replied the young man as he opened the door on his side. "I am going to see if I can talk to them."

"Are you crazy? They might shoot you!" Commented Petr. "It is not worth your life."

Artyom chuckled. "I fought the Dark Ones, I think I can handle people." He replied.

"If you say so, Colonel Miller is going to be disappointed if we return with your corpse."

"Don't worry, I will be fine." Then he looked to the driver. "Uhlman, if things go bad I'll run back to the car and we'll report back to Miller, are we clear."

"Clear like a glass of moonshine."

Artyom dismounted the vehicle as his weapons were slung over his body. The fact that he was able to carry three weapons at the very least was an achievement to the Rangers of the Order. Few men had the ability to do so without getting themselves killed and he was one of them. Luckily, he planned on not using these weapons against the people he was trying to find.

In this new world, the young man did not know what to expect. Would the inhabitants try to kill him on sight or would they welcome a foreigner among their number? These were questions that entered his mind as he continued to make his way to the wooden gates.

When the man had arrived at the base of the gate, he noticed the battlements filled with heavily armored men looking down at him. However, they were not smiling at him, but rather they showed no signs of giving him some kind of welcome. Was it his gas mask? He didn't know, but they still showed contempt towards him as he raised his hand and waved towards them.

Oddly enough, a simple gesture of a greeting was enough to be his ticket in as the gates creaked open. The men made gestures to walk right in as Artyom smiled at the sight. It was a complete miracle that it worked. "God, thank you for watching my back." He said to himself as he noted four figures standing on the other side of the wall in an open area. It didn't seem much, but it was enough to allow the buggy through.

Artyom reached over to his short-ranged radio and spoke onto it. "Uhlman, you can come over. It looks like they want us to come over." He said as the buggy began to roar and follow him past the walls.

Once the Ranger had arrived on the other side of the walls, he was surprised to see there were people living in a safe community. Unlike the Metro stations, whose homes were set in enclosed spaces, there were buildings that were enough for any man in the Metro to satisfy themselves. However, the populace showed very little signs of welcome to him, but rather fear and curiosity of his presence. They didn't seem to understand who he was, but they didn't show any signs of hostilities either.

When the buggy arrived into this small space, Uhlman and Petr began to leave their buggy before they joined Artyom.

Uhlman began to ask his questions. "So, how did you convince them to let us in?" He asked.

Artyom shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. All I did was wave my hands to the guards and they opened the gates."

"Did you just open sesame on them and they let you through?"

"It seems like that way."

"Oh look, who are these four people?"

"I don't know, but they seem to look important."

If there was anything Artyom recognized, it was a group of knights that he once read in a story back in his home. The four knights walked over to him and his group in complete silence as they confronted the Rangers face-to-face. They were quick to speak up, but it felt like their efforts were fruitless as none of the Rangers understood what was said.

Grisha commented their entire conversation from his turret. "I hate to ask, but did you all not understand what the hell they just said?"

The three Rangers outside of the buggy shrugged their shoulders as Uhlman attempted to make a joke about it. "I think we're lost in translation."

However, one of the knights had grabbed their attention as she shouted at them. Her burgundy hair had grabbed their attention, but Rangers had a difficult time understanding what was said. She gave moments of distress to the group of Russians, but it was still a failed effort.

Then an idea came out of Artyom. "I have an idea, but I hope it works." He began as he stepped forward and placed a hand on his chest. "Artyom." He said. "My name is Artyom." It was a simple idea, but hopefully the female knight understood what was said.

At first, she expressed how puzzled she was at the first conversation with him. However, Artyom repeated the idea once more and managed to give her the idea. Yet, she glanced back to her fellow knights, who shrugged their shoulders on how to handle this matter. Then she placed a hand on her chest and took the chance to identify herself. "Piña."

Uhlman commented on the situation. "This is going to take a long time, I'll turn off the engine at this point." He said before departing towards the buggy and making his way into the driver's seat and shutting it down.


	8. Chapter 7

After a long drive, Khan felt the seats shake to the stop. Then he opened his eyes followed by a yawn. The old man blinked his eyes to be alert as he noticed his Japanese captors opened the rear of the vehicle. "Where are we going?"

Tomita glanced over to him before he stepped out. "Welcome to Alnus Hill." He said as he was the first to leave the vehicle. Soon after, Khan followed the young man's lead. "Follow us and don't try to think you can escape."

He smiled at the thought of escape. "Do not worry, I won't do any of that. I'm too old to do any running." Khan replied.

The two men were brought to the front of the convoy as Tomita greeted a man with a higher rank than his. "Lieutenant, what do we do with our suspicious person?"

Tomita's superior turned his head over to his man as he leaned backwards to see the old man. "I suggest you take him to Lieutenant Yanagida. The Russian is way above my paygrade. Just in case, take Kuribayashi with you."

The female soldier Khan had spoken with had immediately walked over to their conversation. "Lieutenant Itami, you need me for something."

"Yes, accompany Tomita on escorting the Russian." He said. "If the Russian takes the chance to escape, you have full permission to tackle him."

Khan looked over his shoulder and saw the short young woman. She grinned when her eyes met his, but it was the gaze of someone who enjoyed their power. Then he turned his attention towards the lieutenant, who immediately came over to walk to him. "Greetings, lieutenant." It was a humble start, but the lieutenant did not show any signs of favor to him.

"Tomita, get going. I don't like to have you come around." Then the young man walked away from the old man as he was met by the village elder.

When the Russian was moved around in this fortress of the base, Khan noticed the simple designs of the military buildings. Just like the personality of the men who ordered their construction, they were built to be straightforward and simple. He continued to walk through the dirt roads as he passed by the massive amounts of military equipment and vehicles that were placed around.

A man stepped out from the building on his right as he walked up to the escorts and spoke. "Are you two from Itami's team?" The officer asked after he pushed his glasses close to his own eyes.

Tomita and Kuribayashi straightened their backs and saluted him. "Yes sir." They both said in unison.

Then Tomita began to lead on. "The lieutenant ordered us to present this man to intelligence."

Lieutenant Yanagida addressed the old Russian. "You must be the man Itami found in Coda Village. What is a Russian doing here?"

Khan shrugged his head. "I have no idea." He answered. "All I know is that I entered through a gate and found this place."

"Wait, you have been through a gate, where?"

"It's no longer there. I don't know why it appeared there of all places."

Then the young officer looked to the two Japanese soldiers. "You two, come with me." He ordered. "We are going to headquarters."

* * *

Another day had passed after their arrival in the large town. Despite the initial hostilities by the occupants, Artyom and his companions found themselves welcomed when they were brought into a building. "It looks like bar." The Ranger commented.

Then Uhlman agreed. "Well, looks like I am going to take off my gas mask. If they have beer and food that isn't filled with chemicals, I am good." He said as he raised the only protective gear to his face. He sniffed the air as he took his seat before he noted something unique. "Damn, it's been ages since I have had a whiff of fresh air."

Grisha warned the senior Ranger. "Uhlman, are you crazy? It might be an illusion."

"Eh, illusions don't present food and drink to you."

After Artyom had found a seat in the bar, he began to looked down at his Kalash as he inspected his weapons. "Actually, you guys enjoy your meal I am going to watch the buggy."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "You needed a break and this would be it. Why don't you sit back and relax?"

"I don't know about you, but no one is watching the buggy and I don't like it when a bunch of people start messing around with our stuff." Artyom countered. "Hell, none of you would like it if someone stole your bullets that you left in the seats."

"Okay then, if you want to protect the buggy you can do that." Then Uhlman added. "I'll see if I can get a meal for you on our way back."

Artyom walked out the door as he was soon met with curious gazes of the people living in the town. However, he paid little attention to them as he began to walk towards the gate where his team arrived from.

Despite his best efforts to ignore the people he passed by, children began to him and reach out for him. He could see that they were poor kids looking for some mercy from a Ranger of the Order. The children tried their best to gain his attention, but he shook his head as he tried to keep them away from him.

It was all in vain when a red-haired child reached up in front of him and grabbed his pouch from his chest. "Hey!" He cried out as the little thief immediately ran off after the initial grab. The boy sprinted away from the Ranger as he looked over his shoulder to only see the Ranger after him.

Although the boy was successful in stealing from him, he smashed into the dress of a woman. However, the woman had bunny ears over her head as she looked down at the boy with a smile.

As Artyom closed the distance, the boy was quick to run behind her blue maid uniform as she looked up to take notice of his presence. If the boy thought he could hide behind a woman for protection, then he had another problem coming. Yet, the woman grabbed the boy by the shoulders and put him in front of her.

His eyes were focused on the pouch the boy had stolen from him. "Hand it over." He quietly demanded towards the boy as he gave out his hand and gestured the boy give it to him. Although the boy in rags had wronged him, common sense came over him as he did not want to have a fight over his MGRs.

The boy shook his head, only to be scolded by the maid whose hands held his shoulders. Unlike the Ranger's intimidating presence, nothing was more terrifying than someone yelling at you for something done wrong.

Once the bunny woman was done talking, the boy hesitantly brought out his hand as he gave the pouch to the man. Then Artyom reached over to snatch it away from thief's hand as he made his way down the street. When the maid and the boy were behind his back, the Ranger smiled at the boy's predicament. No one should ever tempt fate like that, especially a Ranger.


	9. Chapter 8

Khan was brought to a small room filled with a metal table and two chairs. "Is this where I will be staying?"

Lieutenant Yanagida pressed on his glasses, readjusting them back into place. "You are a foreigner in this new world." The JSDF officer answered. "I have many questions for you and you will answer me the correct answers. Now stay here and take a seat." Then he glanced over to the two soldiers. "You two follow me." Immediately, the two Japanese soldiers walked out of the room, leaving the Russian to his own devices.

The old Russian walked over to the table and took his seat. His eyes stared at the mirror on the other side of the table, but Khan knew better than to accept it was a simple mirror. After time spent traveling on the surface and passing through the once great symbols of a long-dead military, the rooms of the souls found guilty were enough to describe what they were, interrogation rooms.

* * *

Lieutenant Yanagida walked into the observation room to find three men standing in the room. One of the men was working with the equipment required for the interrogation for the individual in question, but the second man was an aid to someone powerful in the room. However, the third man was his superior – scratch that – the commander of the entire Special Task Force in the Special Region. He snapped his boots together and saluted him out of respect for him. "General Hazama."

The middle-aged man was folding his arms as he glanced over his shoulder, revealing his brown hair and his short mustache. "Lieutenant Yanagida, is this the man Third Recon found at the village?"

The lieutenant gave a simple nod. "Yes sir. Lieutenant Itami reported in finding an old Russian man among the natives. From what the lieutenant claimed, he came with his team without showing any resistance."

"Interesting." The general replied as the lieutenant stood beside him before they observed the old man looking at them on the other side of the mirror. "Anything else I need to know?"

The younger man lost his professional composure. "Actually, I got a report that this old man was carrying a Kalashnikov and some kind of makeshift 'crossbow' made out of scrap."

Immediately, the general turned his head to see the lieutenant as he expressed his skepticism. "A makeshift crossbow?"

"Yes sir, I find it hard to believe. However, seeing it for yourself makes you wonder if the man is resourceful for a spy." Yanagida answered.

The commander of the Special Task Force and his adjutant had their attention captured when the door to their Russian had opened. Within the white walls of that room, the uniformed soldiers contrasted when compared to the ragged clothing of the suspect. However, he remained calm before he expressed a smile to the men who wished to speak with him.

"Lieutenant, I have a question to ask." Began the general. "Do we have a translator to understand our Russian?"

"No sir." Yanagida answered. "We don't have any need for a translator, sir. The Russian apparently can speak Japanese well enough."

When the questioner began, the old man turned his eyes away from the mirrored wall and onto the man talking. "Good afternoon, I would like to know who I am speaking to."

After he was finished with his speaking, the old man leaned forward and spoke. "Khan, my name is Khan."

"Do you have a last name?" The interrogator asked.

"Where I am from, surnames are slowly dying." The man named Khan explained. "Besides, it is not important in these matters."

"Where are you from? How did you get in this place?"

"Before we continue, I suggest you bring a Geiger counter."

The two Japanese soldiers across from him were puzzled before the took a quick glance at each other. Then the interrogator returned his attention back on the old man. "Excuse me, but why would you require a Geiger counter?"

Khan chuckled at his question. "I come from a place where nuclear war has destroyed the world. Then a gate appeared and I was curious enough to explore the other side. Why I am here, is that the gate disappeared when I met the people of that village." He explained.

The man scoffed at his explanation. "You are mad to the head. No nuclear war has taken place."

"If that is the case then you must check the trail of radiation. For I have a healthy dose of it."

When General Hazama heard those words spoken from the old man, he was quick to issue orders. "I want Alnus Hill on lockdown!"

* * *

He stood on the tower. Artyom looked down at the body of the Dark One as it reached out to the target designator. However, it lacked the strength and succumbed to its wounds as the black eyes of the dark-skinned creature were enough to speak. The creature wanted mercy from the man who would destroy its species, but Artyom expressed not a single word.

The Dark One pleaded with one final breath as its voice echoed into his mine. "We want peace…"

It's hand rested on its abdomen before laying down on the hard metal flooring. Met with no answer, the creature made by the bombs was dead.

Artyom pitied the creature and it's plead for mercy, he would understand he would ask the same of him, but the young man recalled the words of what set off his journey. _If it's hostile, kill it._

The emotionless voice of a machine had spoken. "ETA, ten seconds."

He looked back over his shoulder to see three streaks of burning light. The weapons which were used to destroy this once great world of man were now used against the enemies of humanity. As they passed over him, Artyom watched behind his gas mask as they splashed into the remains of the Northern Frontier. The great fire which had ravaged the surface before was now reignited by the hands of man.

Strange that he of all people, would be the ones to light the way back for man. Maybe Hunter was right about choosing him of all people.

After the initial explosions, the fires remained alit. In his mind, Artyom heard the echoing cries of the creatures he damned. Their desire to stop the fire from consuming them was all he could hear in his head.

The young man – now ranger – dropped to his knees as he placed his hands on his ears. He screamed at how the lives he had taken had begun to curse him for this deed. A curse which he will never forget.

As he screamed, he felt a hand grab his chest and brought him back to reality.

Artyom opened his eyes and threw himself forward, only to be stopped by a friend of the Order. "Hey, are you okay?!"

His head was sweating as he looked around, only to see that he was sitting in the passenger seat of the buggy. The young Ranger looked to his right and found Uhlman have the door open. "Uhlman?" He asked. "Did something happen?"

"Artyom, you were screaming. I had to wake you up." His friend answered as he patted him. "You were having nightmares."

After the young man swept the sweat from his brow, he rubbed his temples. "Nyet, just a bad dream nothing more."

"A bad dream?" The older Ranger wondered skeptically. "You know I am smarter than the average person in the Metro. Look Artyom, if you need to take a break we can go back to D6 and let you see a psychologist."

Artyom raised his hand to stop him. "No, I'm fine. I do not need to go back to my room just because of a simple bad dream."

"I see you got that logic from Hunter."

The young man looked at his friend's gaze. "What?"

"Look, I've been around with Hunter long enough to know about his mannerisms and you have it." Answered Uhlman. "Just like Hunter, you refuse to be easily put down. Say, maybe that mushroom tea your people at Exhibition make might calm things down for a bit. I tried to make the recipe myself, but I wanted to see if I did it right."

He smiled to his friend as they both stepped off the buggy and onto the dirt. "We will see." Artyom replied. "Depending on how you did it, the tea might taste like pig swill or it might be the recipe I told you to make."


	10. Chapter 9

Colonel Miller found was sitting in his new office as his Rangers settled into the bunker-complex. The older man enjoyed that the Order's previous Spartan Base had nothing when compared to the comforts of D6. However, his mind was worried about the events that would follow after the discovery of that gate.

The Rangers of the Spartan Order were made to defend the Metro from natural threats, whether it be a new excursion from the mutants to eliminate the last of humanity in Moscow or to be controlled like the Dark Ones. Now that he thought about those mutants, he could not erase the fact from his mind that he would end up finding this legendary location in his efforts to defeat the dark-skinned humanoids.

Then he thought about the losses during that time. The colonel took a sip of his glass bourbon as he thought about the losses the VDNKh Commonwealth, the people who monopolized on their mushroom tea and the only group of people who did their best to hold out against the Dark Ones. Colonel Miller thought about the Order's best being sent there, only to return with his dogtags in Artyom's hand.

The first thought that came to him was why did Hunter, the best Ranger, choose him to carry the message of all things? It was a question that he had to ask and he hoped Artyom would give him a clear answer as soon as he returned from his recon mission. It was sad to say that such a question would never be answered as he learned how Artyom's stepfather was good friends with Hunter. It was probably a personal question for the boy, but he had to know about what happened to Hunter. After all, he was his best friend.

A man walked into his office, but he was unlike the rest of the Rangers. He was a Ranger only in name, but his engineering expertise was highly valued back at Polis Station. Very few engineers had survived the nuclear bombs and that number of intellectuals worsened when the university was cut off from the rest of the Metro. "Colonel Miller, I got some news for you."

The colonel raised his head from his desk as he glanced over to his familiar friend from an army of an already forgotten nation. "Vladimir, it has been days since we last saw each other." Miller began. "What's the news?"

Despite the colonel's good expression, it was not enough to make Vladimir smile again. Then again, the colonel understood that his friend was grieving after his son was consumed by that monster that rested below. "Miller, I hate to bring this to you, but we have refugees standing on our doorstep."

Surprised by the revelation, Colonel Miller leaned back in his chair. The Order had its job in protecting the citizens of the Metro, but taking refugees was not a good thing to begin with. The sheer amount of logistics required to at least house _and_ feed people was not in the Order's best interest. "Refugees? How the hell did they turn up here?" He demanded.

The older man shook his head. "The Azerbaijanians and Chechens told me that the Reich sent a few Heavy Squads to _purge_ the entire station. They tried to fight back, but you know how those odds when fighting them."

"Of course, I hate it when the Nazis send those guys to do their dirty work. I take that the Muslims lost the fighting?"

Vladimir acknowledged with a simple nod as he leaned in the doorway. "More than that, they had flee. Problem is that the Nazis sent execution squads to hunt anyone down."

"What happened to the refugees?" Wondered Miller. "How did they manage?"

"The Revolutionaries arrived and started fighting the Nazis." The engineer answered. "The refugees said they don't exactly know why they were there, but it turns out they escaped the fighting by going through this one tunnel and stumbled upon the entrances of D6."

"Unless they have someone useful, we can't send them to Polis. The Council would immediately turn them away and send them to another station, but there is the possibility of encountering bandits in the tunnels."

"Would you mind if I proposed this idea to you?" Vladimir asked. "It might help us a bit in this place."

Colonel Miller crossed his arms as he straightened his back within the confines of his chair. "Well my friend, what exactly is this proposal?"

"Let them in D6."

The Ranger immediately rose from his seat. "Are you crazy? Do you want to risk the possibility of the Reds or the Nazis to send spies here and find out that the Order is keeping a large cache of weapons from them? Letting the refugees in D6 would give us a logistical nightmare."

Vladimir shook his head. "They are Muslims, colonel. The Nazis wouldn't accept them since they're not Russians and the Reds don't like religious people. I think we can place a safe bet that they will not cause any trouble for the Rangers." Then he chuckled at an additional mention. "Plus, I heard they make great rat kabobs back where they came from."

"Okay then, you have made your point." Replied Miller. "However, they are your responsibility as well as those outsiders from the other side."

"Oh, you mean those girls?"

"Yes, they're your responsibility now that Artyom and Uhlman are not helping us right now."

Vladimir acknowledged the weight on his shoulder as he departed from the room. "Take care, Miller, I got some civilians to keep an eye on."

* * *

After the full alert on the Alnus Base, the Japanese soldiers were checking every single item the Russian had brought into this strange world. From the weapons to his knapsack, they scanned everything for radiation.

General Hazama watched from his side of the window as the decontamination teams had begun to wash down everything. However, his eyes were focused on the strange makeshift crossbow the crew had trouble cleaning. After all, there were parts that were difficult to wash out because of the sharp ends of the bolts. If any of the crewmembers had their suits punctured they would be exposed to the radiation.

On the other side of the window, the Japanese general found his adjutant walk up to him in his contaminated uniform. "Lieutenant Yanagida, are you okay?" Hazama asked, concerned about the well-being of his own soldiers.

The lieutenant acknowledged his question with a nod. "Yes sir, it turns out that the decontamination teams have informed me that I have been exposed to abnormal levels of radiation, but it is not enough to kill me." The young man answered. "As it turns out, the old man we interrogated is still fine, but I think it's evidence enough to suggest he is something else entirely. What do you think about him, sir?"

The general shook his head at the first thought he believed to be true. "I doubt he is a Russian agent. They wouldn't want to take the risk of another world being at risk of a Chernobyl… unless they want to deny us resources."

"I agree with your statement, the Russian military is known for being practical and risking a man with radiation poisoning and sending him to us is a bad idea from the start."

"Lieutenant, see whatever information you could get out of this Khan and see if he can help us understand why he is covered in suspicious amounts of radiation."

Despite the decontamination crews cleaning up the mess, they somehow did not notice the old Russian walking up to the wall. "No need to go through all that trouble, General Hazama."

Hazama and Yanagida had immediately turned their attention on Khan as he joined the conversation.

"Ask away at any question you want from me?"

The Japanese general gave a small moment of silence between himself and Khan; however, he ended the silence by simply speaking. "Khan, correct?"

The Russian acknowledged his name with a simple nod. "Yes, what is the question you want from me?"

"Why were you covered in radiation?"

Khan smiled at the question presented by the general. "I hail from a world where nuclear war has destroyed the world and poisoned the air with toxic chemicals that trying to live on the surface is suicide." He answered. "I believe you and your lieutenant would refer to this situation as the post-apocalypse since the world is dying and there is little we can do to deny it."

"That doesn't answer my question. Answer me." Hazama ordered him.

"If that is what you wish then of course." The older man nodded his head. "In my world, nuclear war has destroyed the world and there are many areas on the surface where pockets of radiation could boil water. However, I am not stupid enough to remain in these pockets for a prolonged period. Though, I have made contact with radioactive materials that were misplaced and forgotten in the tunnels of Moscow Metro."

"I see."

"General, if it grants you any comfort I am not from this world that you refer as the Special Region. It's too primitive for my tastes and allow me to say that my knowledge is very limited with the locals."

General Hazama's eyes looked up and stared at the man. "You have spent time amongst the locals, am I correct? How did you manage to do this?"

Khan answered with a simple nod. "My vocabulary is limited, but I understand their language enough to know what they are saying. As to how I know this, it is rather complicated to tell you."

"Complicated? I am looking at a man who is from the post-apocalypse and in a fantasy world. You can't be more complicated than that."

"In my previous life, I understood Latin perfectly when I spoke with some Christian Missionaries."

Lieutenant Yanagida was quick to bring up his skepticism. "Your previous life? What is this nonsense?"

Khan glanced over to the lieutenant. "Young man, you might find it hard to believe it, but you are looking at the last reincarnation of Genghis Khan."


	11. Chapter 10

Artyom sat in the passenger seat as he looked outside of the windows to see the cold, wet town outside. The rain turned the ground near the gate into mud and the Rangers were forced to park their buggy on the stone-paved streets. Although they moved, they couldn't find a place to rest in and so the Polis Rangers sat in their seats to stay out of the rain. The young man glanced out of the window and saw the people running through their sidewalk before they took a quick glance at him and continued with their lives.

A hand tapped him by the shoulder, causing him to turn away from the window to meet with Petr's face mask. "Artyom, are you okay?" He asked.

The Ranger shook his head. "No, I'm just trying to take in the fact that I am sitting here without my gas mask on."

Petr chuckled at the mention of such a liberty. "I know what you mean. I thought I could take off my gas mask when I first got my chance to ride in this thing. Say, what was it like when you first found D6 with Miller and Uhlman?"

He had always been given recognition within the order for finding the legendary bunker-complex, but was the price for finding such a legendary place worth the cost. Artyom had set out with himself and five others. Only two of them were killed and the Ranger felt like it was his fault for not telling the others when one of them died to save him. "Oh, it was nothing much aside from the mutants that occasionally attacked us." It was a lie, of course. A small one, but it was a lie nonetheless. One that would haunt him, just like what he did with the Dark Ones.

"Really, you guys weren't met with some kind of massive monster defending the legendary bunker?"

"Well, there was this one time Colonel Miller and I decided to go down to the reactor as we were fighting these blob creatures. It's not there anymore, but Miller said he'll burn it out with flamethrowers."

Petr expressed his surprise with his gasp. "Are you shitting me?" He wondered. "I thought it was bullshit, but was that really true?"

Artyom replied with a simple nod with his head.

"Fucking hell, I thought I was hearing the occasional stories some of the guys hear in the tunnels. Damn, I can't believe that was all real."

The driver's seat opened as Uhlman climbed into the seat drenched in rain. "Guys, want to drown yourselves today?" He added with a laugh.

Petr sighed, it was another pun from their senior Ranger. "Uhlman, don't do this to us when it's raining."

Then Uhlman presented a jug after he closed the buggy's door. "Here, allow me to apologize for that one. One of the locals decided to gift us some wine." Then he handed the bottle to Petr. "Take a sip."

Artyom and Uhlman watched as the Ranger trapped between them had slowly tipped the jug upwards. It was a slow process, but it grew fruitful when the fermented drink slipped into his mouth. Then he lowered the jug and wiped the remains off his face. "I don't know what to tell you guys, but this is pretty good."

"Just kidding it was honey."

Petr quickly turned his head onto the man on his left with shock. "That was honey? How the hell do you know that?"

Uhlman pointed his thumb outside of the vehicle. "I just saw some girl mix in some honey with something and handed it to me. I got to say, I never thought I would enjoy that. Hand it to Artyom, I know he might want a try."

The trio heard a man shouting at them from the back. "Guys, whose turn is it?"

Artyom, Petr, and Uhlman looked through the rear window, only to see the Ranger sitting in the gun turret with an umbrella watching over him.

Uhlman shook his head at the man's position in life. "Being the gunner of that thing has to really suck." He said to himself. Then he glanced over to the passengers. "Artyom, it's your turn to get up there. Think you can handle it."

Realizing the question was directed at him, he nodded his head. "Sure, I did something like this with Pavel. So I think I can manage."

"Good, go tell Grisha that before he meows like a wet cat."

A chuckle escaped from Petr's lips. "A wet cat, we don't see many of those in the Metro."

Artyom heard a knocking on his side of the seat as he unlocked the door and slowly opened himself back to the outside world. However, through the cold and the rain, he saw a familiar person with bunny ears wave her hand at him. "Oh, hello. What are you here for?" He asked her.

The bunny woman pointed her hand to a place and he could tell just by her actions. Her hands were urgently pointed towards somewhere else as if she was trying to emphasis on something. Artyom followed where her finger pointed, only to see her finger showing the great castle that was high above the rest of the buildings.

"Does she want us to go there?"

* * *

The princess looked down from her tower as she saw the smoke and fire coming from the bandit camps. Strange how she welcomed the strangers from another world into the walls rather than the people who lived in this world. Although four men didn't seem enough, she had heard tales from the survivors of the other world and the battle at Alnus Hill about their power. From the way those men told it, they had a magical power that defeated them at every turn.

Could it be that these were a different form of mages from another world? Princess Piña asked her self this question after accepting the newcomers from beyond the wall. Ever since their arrival they kept to themselves, but did have limited contact with a tavern. After she had ordered Hamilton to spy on them, she returned with a report that they enjoyed talking and drinking. Despite the language barrier, Piña would have to take full advantage of such information in the future when she understood these people.

The strange carriage those men rode in had arrived within the front of the Italica mansion, the home of the young countess in charge of this entire town.

When she looked down from the balcony and saw the stones drenched in rain water, the strange carriage stop as one of the maids from the mansion had dismounted from the side. The demi-human seems to be enjoying with herself as her uniform was drenched from the rain. She was quickly followed when those strangers had stepped out of their carriages and conversing with each other in their own tongue.

The princess heard her door unlock from behind her back, catching her attention. She turned away from the balcony and walked back into her guest quarters as Grey closed the door behind him. [Your highness, quite a pleasant morning I presume?] He asked of her.

Princess Piña walked away from the balcony as she tightened her gauntlets. [Yes I have, but I shouldn't be so lax. The bandits are still out there and could have taken the moment to attack Italica at any time.]

[True, your grace, but the rain would make it very difficult for them to make a proper siege. After all, mud cares not for who steps in it.]

[Why would the bandits not fight last night? It was perfectly in their favor.]

[Princess, would you like to fight in the rain?] The old knight asked her.

She shook her head. [No, not at all.]

[Then there is your answer. They may choose when they want to attack, but the rain made it come in our favor. We should be grateful that it also gave us another day for the rest of the Rose Order to relieve us.] Grey explained to the princess. [Besides, it takes time to prepare another siege like last time.]

[That's relieving. Do you know what is the morale of the militia?] Piña quickly changed the subject. [I want to know if they're willing to carry on with their duties.]

She noticed the small smile on Grey's lips slowly died away by the harsh reality she faced. [Sadly, most of these young men want their lives back to normal, but they can't do that with bandits outside of the wall. Though, we should be grateful that the maids are reminding the serfs that they belong to the countess.]

[I guess we should be grateful.]


	12. Chapter 11

After they were introduced to the mansion, Artyom and Uhlman found themselves following the maid who brought them to this place. As for their fellow man, they had to remain with the buggy. They still couldn't trust these people with something so advanced in their own backyard.

While they went through the hallways, Artyom noticed the various banners and guards standing within the hallways. He didn't know why, but there was animosity in the air and they didn't seem to welcome him.

The stone-built hallways somehow reminded him of the Moscow Library, one of the few last places on the surfaces that survived the nuclear bombs. It also applied to the books that were left behind on the hostile surface. Books, he wondered if there were any books that could help him on speaking with these people. It might have been a hard task, but it wouldn't hurt to try it. However, the different languages made it already difficult to an already dying civilization. "Uhlman, do you know where they are taking us?" He asked.

The older man coughed from behind his facemask. "No Artyom. I don't have a single clue." He replied behind his back. "Keep an eye on everyone. We don't want to be caught off-guard."

Heeding his words, Artyom slipped his finger onto the trigger. However, he could be assured that there wouldn't be a misfire since this was one of the few Kalash assault rifles that survived the violent transition from the inhospitable world. Even its safety on the gun was still able to work after twenty years of being worn down. Then he thought about the previous owner who promised him this weapon.

Bourbon, the notorious man who was deep in debt with the Hansa guards. Strange how the man bargained his favorite weapon to a young inexperienced man of the underground Metro. His mentor of sorts, who taught him how to scavenge on the surface and the additional advice on how to simply survive. In a world where humanity had fallen from the grace of God and landed on the bottom of the food chain, he always had a sense of humor when it came to "yellow snow" and the demons. A pity he had to leave him behind at the station filled with killers and cutthroats. Despite his faults, he seemed to be like a good man.

The bunny maid stopped as she turned around to confront the two Rangers who followed her. She spoke differently as she extended her arm towards a door on his left.

Then he heard Uhlman make a comment about the situation. "I think she wants us to go inside of the room."

Artyom remained quiet as he walked over to the door and slowly pushed it open. However, he was surprised when he learned there was more behind this simple wooden door. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. There was plenty of space to store items of importance, but he knew it was not a storage room.

A long red carpet came from the door as he noticed two chairs on the other side of the room, occupied by two girls. One of which, he was familiar with. Beside these two individuals were three armored knights, but there was a female knight among them. However, her armor expressed her small chest where the two men were clad in steel chest plates.

The redhead rose from her seat and spoke; however, Artyom was plagued by the language barrier. Then he felt Uhlman's presence when he stood beside him. "They're going to talk us to death, literally."

The younger Ranger shook his head. "Not the time, Uhlman."

"What? Since we can't understand her, might as well make a few puns."

"If I had to choose between your puns and someone who doesn't speak Russian, I would choose her." Artyom replied quietly.

"Am I that bad?"

"No, but it can be annoying sometimes."

"If I end up leaning on you, I'm sleeping."

Artyom smiled at the thought. He didn't want to offend the young woman speaking to him and his friend, but the thought of Uhlman sleeping on his shoulder was funny. "Just don't snore."

A small chuckle escaped from the veteran's lips.

* * *

After the alert about radiation had ceased, Lieutenant Yanagida could not believe what he was dealing with. There was an old Russian who stated that he was the reincarnation of Genghis Khan. It sounded absurd, but he also said that he came from a post-apocalyptic world of Russia. From meeting fantasy races that were once believed in fiction, he simply could not believe the Russian was from such a world at all. Then he thought of the possibility of other gates.

However, that train of thought would have to go elsewhere as he walked over to Khan's designated room. Unlike the other hospital rooms that were built for the refugees, this one was heavily modified to keep an eye on this stranger. Just in case, there were two MPs who were standing on guard beside the man's room.

There was a knocking from the other side of the door as the lieutenant noticed the two men unlocked the door and swung it open. A medic stepped out of the room as she placed a hand on her head. One of the MPs was quick to come to her aid. _"Hey are you alright?"_ The lieutenant asked.

The JSDF medic rubbed her temples as she glanced over to him. However, she immediately saluted the officer as soon as her gaze saw him. _"Lieutenant, you are not going to believe this, but the man escaped."_

" _Escaped?" He asked. "How the hell did he escaped? There is no way he could get away with that."_ Yanagida ran past the medic as he stormed into the room. _"MPs, search the room!"_

When the lieutenant arrived, he couldn't believe his eyes. There was a small circle marked in white, but there was a piece of chalk which remained inside of the circle. _"Someone put the base on alert, we have an escapee."_

* * *

In the weapons locker, Kuribayashi slipped on a pair plastic gloves as she snatched the makeshift crossbow into her own hands. _"I want to make one like this."_ She aimed down the sight of the weapon as she noticed the red gauge on the right of sights. There was a red filler which was three-fourths away from the bottom of the gauge. _"Huh, what does that do?"_

Then she heard an old man speak across of her, a surprise that took her aback. _"The gauge represents how much air pressure that powers the Helsing."_ The voice did little to comfort the JSDF soldier as she reached for her sidearm. _"Don't be afraid. I only want to take back what was mine."_

The female sergeant quickly pulled her pistol to bear as her gaze was searching for the Russian stranger who was present. _"Where are you?"_ She demanded.

" _A man of the apocalypse simply does not reveal his secrets."_

" _Khan, you know I cannot do that?"_

The light above her began to flicker as the sergeant took a step back. Sergeant Kuribayashi scanned the entire aisle of weapon lockers before the lights flickered faster than before. However, the JSDF sergeant felt she was being stalked as a figure on the far side of the aisle. The young woman discharged her weapon as the figure ran towards him. Yet, it didn't stop the man from proceeding to come after her.

With each flicker, the old Russian closed the distance and it felt like she was missing him. Then she heard her sidearm empty with a simple click as he was a mere foot away from her. _"Thank you for holding my weapon for me."_ The old man stated as the sergeant closed her eyes.

She expected Khan to follow up that sentence with a fist; however, nothing did. As she opened her eyes, the light to the weapon lockers stopped flickering. Once she scanned the room, Kuribayashi noticed the bullet marks on the other side of the aisle. Then a simple detail caught her attention when she looked around. The makeshift crossbow she once had with her was no longer on her person. _"How did he do that?"_

A door creaked open on her left as she saw three JSDF personnel storm into the weapon arsenal with their M16s at the ready. _"Sergeant Kuribayashi, we heard gunshots here. Did you find the Russian?"_

She answered with a nod. _"Yeah, but you guys won't believe me. I tried to shoot him, but he was too fast for me to hit."_

" _Why was he here?"_

" _The guy came here for his weapons."_

* * *

When the sirens blared loudly, Khan watched from afar as Japanese aircraft had begun to lift off their landing pads. Entire checkpoints were on lockdown with the JSDF on full alert.

Despite his interesting interactions with these people, the old Russian knew he could not simply stay there. They would ask him endless questions and speculate on how an old man from a destroyed city had arrived into this world. Although he enjoyed giving them some answers, there were some which he could not reply.

He turned away from where the Japanese had set up their military installations for he pressing matters to attend to. Then he slipped a small map pad out from his knapsack as he turned the cover over. Yet, this was no simple map. It was one with a magical personality which he only knew.

If he was in the Metro, he would simply see lines filled with various colors to describe whether a tunnel was safe, dangerous, or even supernatural to travel through. However, the map of the train tunnels was not on his map. Instead, it was filled with various roads that were filled with curvatures and turns. What changed everything was the hamlets and towns that were marked on this map.

Khan smiled at his tool of survival continued to make itself useful at every turn. "Quite a transition, let's see if I can make use out of this." Then he began to make his first step towards a town he could not read.

* * *

Two Rangers stepped out of the mansion, confused and curious about what had transpired. As the rain splattered its drops on their armor plates and their uniforms, Artyom found himself even more confused than ever. "Uhlman, did you ever understand what that girl said?" The young man asked as he continued to walk over to the half-manned buggy.

He noticed the older Ranger shake his head. "Nope, I clearly did not understand a damn thing from her. However, we need to report this place to Miller as soon as possible." Uhlman replied. "Besides, I think we overstayed our welcome here."

"How can you be so sure?"

"An expression of a person can tell what they like and what they hate."

Artyom shrugged it off as Uhlman was first to climb into the buggy before he closed the door on the passenger seat.

"Alright Artyom, climb on the gunner seat it's your turn now." He ordered

When Artyom pulled himself off the ground, he glanced back from the vehicle and noticed the mansion above to see the redheaded figure standing outside on the balcony. However, he noticed the eyes of the young woman looking down at him. Strange that he felt that she was judging his soul when they both knew very little about each other. Then he slipped into the small turret and manned the heavy machine gun mounted on the buggy.

The engines were revved as he felt its steel foundations shake his seat, but it was stable enough to continue keeping watch over his fellow Rangers. As he checked the belt of ammunition, there was a strange feeling he once felt a long time ago. One which he could not forget when he first departed from Exhibition, his home station.


	13. Chapter 12

Colonel Miller stepped out of the main entrance, with his Rangers heavily armed despite being outnumbered. He noticed there was an increase of refugees coming towards his new headquarters, only to see the desperate and the fearful standing before him. The colonel had heard terrible things from both the Red Line and the Fourth Reich, conscripting every abled body into their armies whether the conscript accepted it with pleasure or at gunpoint. "What the hell?" Miller wondered to himself.

The officer looked at the train tracks, littered with bags and rail cars as people gathered to the front with many requests. Some demanded that they be let it, others tried to plead with them that they were hungry, and the rest didn't seem like they had anywhere else to go. Miller couldn't blame the third group of people. The Metro was getting smaller over the years and some stations remained uninhabited by suspicion or the threat of the tunnel trash.

One man stepped forward as he felt the eyes of the guards trained on him and the green laser pointers focused on his person. "Hello sir, I wish to speak with whoever is in charge." He asked in a hoarse tongue. The old man realized his voice was dry and gurgled whatever saliva remained in his system.

"You're looking at him." The colonel replied. "I know you are all refugees and you are seeking someplace decent to stay, but we can't let you in." He commented. "None of you are Rangers and none of you have the skills that Polis needs so I'm sorry to tell this information to you."

"What do you mean?" The old man asked. "You have to let us in, we can't turn back now."

"Look, old man-"

Despite the colonel's intimidating presence, the stranger took the opportunity to interrupt his words. "Mikhail Porfirevich, you can call me Mikhail, but do not call me old man."

Miller was impressed, it took few men to have the balls to speak out against him. "Alright Mikhail, you need to understand this. Us Polis Rangers can't let you in because you don't have the skills Polis needs. Unless someone here can make themselves valuable, it's unlikely." Then he noticed the hope in their eyes fade away in disappointment. "Look, even if I allowed all of you in, Polis would sack me for incompetence."

"Valuable people?" Wondered Mikhail.

"Yes, valuable people. I know you traveled all this way, but I can't allow this many people in."

"If you are looking for valuable people, I think I can help you with that."

"How so?" Miller asked. "None of you look like scientists."

"No, we don't look like scientists. However, some of us are technicians, electricians, and engineers. Please, you have to let us in."

"You claim to say you're those kinds of workers. Why didn't the Nazis take you instead? I'm sure they wanted someone like you."

Mikhail shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it's hard to get a job when you've been labelled sub-human. The reason we left was because I heard a rumor about some guys high up the chain of command trying to kill the rats. We had to leave because those idiots didn't exactly care about us."

"And what about you? You don't seem to be much."

Then the old man grinned as he waved his finger. "Aw, don't understand an old bastard like me." He began. "I used to work on computers before the bombs came down." Then his expression died. "Sadly, I doubt any station has technology like that now."

"Mikhail, I think you just earned yourself and the rest of these people a way in. Right now, we only have one guy trying to get everything to be in working order. Sadly, he doesn't have the time to get people in that room full of computers."

"Are you going to let us in?" He asked.

The colonel nodded his head in an accepting manner. "Yes indeed, you and the rest of these people can move in." Miller glanced over his shoulder as he looked at his fellow guards. "Open the secondary blast doors, they have our permission."

* * *

Khan had spent a long day traveling through the peaceful countryside of a world he never knew. A world innocent of nuclear bombs and the madness of man's destructive creations. While this land of medieval society was not innocent of war and bloodshed, it was not as terrible as the weapon that killed mankind's place in the world.

He did not need to run, because there was no place for him to go to. Until he found one of those structures that brought him here, he had to dwell in this land for quite some time. Maybe there was a chance that he would not return? It was questions like these that mattered. Could it be that fate had already decided about the fate of his life?

The old man stopped in his long walk, but felt there was something stirring fate. Yet, he could not put his finger on what was giving him this strange feeling.

A cry of distress was called out. Women were screaming to the top of their lungs for help. It was far ahead, but Khan felt he could make it. Based on his own time on the surface of the Dead City, he estimated that he could make it. However, he no longer had to factor in the obstacle of a few apartments in the way along with the occasional creatures or hostile scouts for the Reds or the Nazis.

He immediately started running towards the distressed cry as he slung his Helsing off his shoulder. Until he could find a bullet exchange trader, Khan would have to rely on his trusty crossbow.

After minutes of running, he found a small band of warriors descending upon a wagon trying to speed away from the scene. Despite his efforts to get to the people in need of assistance, it felt like he could not close the distance. However, Khan's gut felt something supernatural in the air which almost reminded him of home.

A black blue flew past him, catching him off-guard. Khan stood with awe as the lithe figure arrived to rescue the distressed from the band of swordsmen running after him. Although this small being was fast, he noticed the person was carrying something impossibly large for an average human.

There was a large halberd that spun wildly in the air, but it was a controlled attack. The figure's blade had cut through the band that encircled the wagon. Blood flowed into the grass as the armored warriors were strewn across the ground. However, there was one figure that remained standing among the dead and Khan could not believe his eyes.

A young teenager in… strange clothing had her halberd resting on her shoulders. Her face was covered in the blood of the men as she smacked her lips with enjoyment. However, the old man could not forget this moment since the stranger was looking at him with her own eyes.

* * *

After General Hazama was given the news about the Russian's disappearance, the recon teams on standby were immediately put on search. The fact that the JSDF was going to use its manpower to find a single man was a surprised to Lieutenant Itami. It was like finding a needle in a haystack in the middle of a farm. The odds of finding that old man was going to be very low. The only thing he forgot to factor was that the JSDF were using their vehicles and helicopters to find him by any means necessary.

Third Recon Team had to spread their vehicles out and comb to the north of Alnus Hill. Based on the information of the locals, the only closest place where he could go was the town of Italica. The lieutenant found himself bored in the ride of the Humvee as he leaned onto his hand. "Well, who would have thought we would be looking for a single man." The young officer quietly said to himself.

Yet, he was surprised when he heard gunfire in the distance.

"Did anyone hear that?" Lieutenant Itami. The soldiers within his vehicle took notice of the small volume.

His sergeant was quick to agree with him. "Yes sir, I hear it as well." She replied.

"Kuribayashi, get on the gun."

"Yes sir." Shino replied as she climbed up into the gunner position.

Then the young man reached for the radio as he opened the channel. "This is Third Recon Team, we have a development here. Possible hostile contact on our patrol."

A voice was quick to reply. "Relaying information to command, keep your distance and report to command if you have identified the escapee."

"Yes sir." The fact that there was a chance for a possible firefight worried him. The lieutenant had three vehicles chasing after and old man with an assault rifle and it did not feel right for him. Maybe there was a possible way to convince him? There had to be another option.

Itami was caught by surprise when he heard the radio scramble through frequencies, but there something shouting that had passed through. It was not that the frequency was different from the ones the JSDF used for their military for someone was speaking in Russian.


	14. Story Update

Here is a story update that I think you guys and girls all deserve.

Since this fic is abruptly ended, I think you all deserve to know that I have made another Gate/Metro crossover, rewritten with the effort called _From the Shadows Redux._ Unlike this one, the redux version is simply better now that I'm not pulling ideas out of my ass.

I'll keep this one in-case I could salvage some ideas that failed here into the crossover.

Same idea, better execution.

I hope you all enjoy this.


End file.
